4 Democratic centrists to McHenry: Let's make a deal

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

Four top centrist Democrats on Friday sent a pitch to Acting Speaker Patrick McHenry: Let’s get the House working again.

In a letter to McHenry that was obtained by POLITICO, Democrats told him they support giving him “temporary, expanded authorities” that would allow the House to take up the most urgent bills — namely, government funding plans.

Specifically, the Democrats are proposing to let McHenry bring up any emergency aid for Ukraine or Israel, a short-term bill that extends government funding through Jan. 11, or general consideration of fiscal 2024 spending bills. Those powers should be limited to 15-day increments, they proposed, with extensions possible if the House GOP continues to remain without a leader.

In exchange, the Democratic quartet suggested, their party would be allowed to fill up 50 percent of the House's suspension calendar — which is reserved for noncontroversial bills and requires two-thirds votes for passage, not simple majorities.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2023/10/13/congress/dems-to-mchenry-00121499

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Text of letter

[ancianita]

1. Just wonder if Hakeem is aware of this, since I didn't read anything about that.

[Shipwack]

5. Good question!

It wouldn't surprise me if they were acting on their own.

However, Jefferies might not know "officially", but might be aware of it. This would let him continue to bargain from a position of power.

I have no idea which more likely, though I hope supposition #2 is correct.

[LiberalFighter]

2. Who are these four members? Never heard of them.

[NoRethugFriends]

3. Members of problem solverrs causus, which totally sucks, as does this idea

[3Hotdogs]

10. Dunno. The ideas presented in the text seem necessary for the wellbeing of the country.

[NoRethugFriends]

11. Gets the Rethugs out of their predicament and nothing would get passed anyhow

The Dems need to keep making the Rethugs look like asses.
Problem Solvers suck.
Wanted to oust Pelosi
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2018/12/14/no-labels-and-problem-solvers-are-wolves-wall-street-sheeps-clothing

[Frasier Balzov]

4. McHenry has been a petty and pushy jerk in the past.

But his diminutive stature and bow tie might give him enough faux allure to help the U.S. government do business.

So adopt the prick. For now only.

[SouthernDem4ever]

6. Can't Matt Butthead or Marjorie Traitor Greene still call for his removal like they did to McCarthy?

Or was that only for Kevin McCarthy's term.

[GregariousGroundhog]

7. Nope

The Constitution grants the House of Representatives the power to enact its own rules, and one of the rules Kevin McCarthy aquiesced to in order to secure his speakership was a rule allowing a single member to submit a motion to declare the speakership vacant.

There is no current Speaker of the House, so no one can submit a motion to declare the speakership vacant. McHenry is Speaker Pro Tempore, and the rules around how the Speaker Pro Tempore is determined and what they can do were written after 9/11. They laid out what to do if the Speaker of the House became unavailable or incapacitated for whatever reason.

The House is free to change its own rules, if they can get at least half of the representatives to agree to them. I'd bet on the House's ability to herd cats before I'd bet on their ability to change the rules prior to the next election though.

[SouthernDem4ever]

8. But if they don't change the current rules

The next speaker would be subject to the same thing, no?

[GregariousGroundhog]

9. Indeed!